Team Aero: Rayquaza Hunters
by Mole of Aiur
Summary: Years have passed since the threats of Teams Rocket, Aqua and Magma were dealt with by a collection of exceptional Trainers. However, there seems to be a new threat growing, and word is that this new Team is after Rayquaza!
1. Chapter 1

_Hiya, Scott here again. I finally had inspiration hit me again, this time based around Pokémon, believe it or not. I wonder what the public will think of my latest attempt at a decent fic. At the start of every chapter, up here I'll comment and feedback on reviews. Anyway, here it is- Chapter 1.  
_

* * *

**Team Aero: Rayquaza Hunters  
Chapter 1: Old Friends**

After checking up in his PokéNav on the number of the Professor, Talon set it to dial him up. He had found something that Professor Birch might find rather interesting indeed. The voice of the renowned Pokémon expert came fuzzy through the speakers.

"_Hello? Is that you, Talon? Where the heck are you, the reception is awful on my side!"_ the Professor said.

"Yeah Professor, it's me. I'm in a cave right now, lucky I got through at all.Doesn't look like it's gonna hold out for long, so I'll get on with it quickly. I've found something you might be very interested in, and for some reason, I wanna know about it too."

"_What? What is it Talon, you've struck my curiosity now; it'd be cruel to keep me hanging on tenterhooks!"_

"Ack… Something's coming, gotta go... Get back to you at the Center, Prof. Bye!"

_"Grr... Hurry up then, I'll be waiting!"_

-beep-  
Talon turned off his PokéNav and turned toward the way of the cave exit. Little did he know that he was walking closer to the "something" from earlier: a very large, wild Onix. Its rocky face had chunks missing, probably from tussles with other Onix, and it made it look all the more intimidating. It must've been curious to all the weird beepings and sounds from Talon's earlier PokéNav conversation.

"Bugger. Houndoom's still weak from all the other wild Pokémon to fight this beast of an Onix… I knew I should've bought more Potions before I came here…" Talon said to himself. He thought of making a break for it, but remembered Onix could burrow over 40 miles per hour. He was close to the exit, as he could see moonlight rays peering out from behind the monstrosity. He considered all the other possibilities, even one which made him laugh, involving using the old "Look over there!" tactics on the Onix and scarpering.

Yes, he was kind of at a loose end here, and he kicked himself for letting himself get in such a situation. He was supposed to be taking the League Championship, and with mistakes like these, he wouldn't be cutting it soon. Shaking off these feelings for a moment, he decided to risk making a run. He wasn't _too_ far from the exit-  
Out of nowhere, the Onix's tail swung through the dark, Talon just noticing it in time to dodge it. The tail crashed into the side wall of the cave, causing a thunderous noise.

"W-Whoa… Okay Talon, relax… It could've been you, but it wasn't." he said, trying to calm his breathing down. That had given him quite a shock. "This isn't good for my heart." he added jokingly. The Onix readied another swing, but Talon was too tired to dodge it- Both he and his Houndoom had had a very long exploration through this cave, and both were worn out.

Talon jammed his eyes shut and braced himself for the crushing of a bone or two, but no such feeling came. He opened his eyes slightly to see that a rather large Sneasel was actively taking on the Onix…  
"-and winning… I only know one Sneasel that size and strength." He said, grinning. He turned slightly to find a familiar person calling orders to it. Sneasel's claws glowed a light blue in the darkness of the cave and it slashed at the Onix with full speed. The Onix gave a roar of disgust and pain and quickly slithered away in the best way possible for a rock snake.

"Good going, Sneasel, you finally got that Ice Punch mastered." The Trainer said, as Sneasel ran back to him. "Finally tracked you down… I heard from your mom and the Professor that you'd left to help him and I've been looking for you ever since. I guess I arrived with a flashy entrance, just as I hoped." He said to Talon, smirking.

"I guess so. Why were you looking for me anyway?" Talon replied.

"Well, I wanted to come with you from the start, but you were too anxious to get out there. I had no idea which way you went after you left."

"Looks like we've teamed up right now eh? Finally. You should've told me back at the lab, Dan!" Talon laughed, greeting his best friend for many years, Danus Katskil. After everything that just happened, Talon was surprised to find himself yawning loudly. "God, I'm beat. If I remember correctly, there's a Centre just outside the cave, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, come on Talon, you're knackered. Surely you didn't make it through this cave in a day?" Danus asked.

"Yep, and I found something which you might want to look at when we get back." He nodded, grinning and gesturing to his backpack. The two friends made it out of the cave into a little forest clearing. Talon could hear the sound of the waterfall that he had passed in the cave earlier that day roaring behind him. A little further on along the woodland path they finally came across the gatehouse to Ecruteak City. Talon breathed a sigh of relief as the gatekeeper let him through to the city, the Pokémon Centre just ahead.

"Finally, Houndoom and I can get some rest…" he said, as they walked through the automatic doors of the Centre. He quickly handed over one Pokéball to recuperate, and checked in for a room himself. "That's that done. I'll just wait around for a moment, so I can pick up Houndoom before I go to bed." He told Hideval, getting them both a drink from the machine. "Shouldn't you get Sneasel healed too?" he asked.

"Nah, Sneasel just needs a night's sleep, and he'll be fine. He's got some stamina, I tell you." Danus explained, while Sneasel nosily looked over a nearby Trainer's shoulder to watch him feed his baby Pichu.

"I guess you're right. He doesn't seem tired at all, more bored than anything." Talon said, chuckling as Sneasel sat down by Danus, sighing with obvious boredom. He kicked his feet out like a small child would do on a chair too big for them.

"Snea…" it said.

"I know mate, but not everyone here is in the same league as you. Most of them are normal and need sleep." Danus said, looking over to his Sneasel, grinning.

"…Snea? Sneasel snea?" asked Sneasel, sounding rather offended. He didn't give Danus the time to explain. As he opened his mouth, he was greeted by a light version of Beat Up in the face, making him fall off the chair. Sneasel hopped onto the table, looking victorious, Talon trying his best to keep a straight face.

He yawned again, and was interrupted by the nurse. He walked to the reception and took Houndoom back, who immediately jumped out of his Pokéball, appearing beside Talon. He stretched low, first his front legs, then his hind legs, before shaking it off. He growled his disapproval of being kept in his Ball for so long, but nevertheless, his tail wagged. Talon grinned and knelt down to give him a little pet on the head.

"Hey you. You did great today, and I didn't expect you to hold out all day like you did. Let's go rest, yeah?" he said, to which Houndoom wagged his tail faster, batting against Talon's leg as he got up to his feet again. "See you guys tomorrow, kay?" he said to Danus, who nodded. "Night mate."

And with that, he headed into his room, and was asleep within five minutes.

Talon was woken up in the morning by the sun glaring into his face off of a mirror on the opposite wall of his room. He groaned and turned over onto his side, trying to drop off again, while dodging the sunlight. It didn't seem to work however, and Talon gave up. He sat up in bed and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he noticed Houndoom had slept curled up on his bed sheets beside him. He smiled and decided to let him sleep as he washed and got ready for the day. _Let sleeping dogs lie, especially evil fire-breathing ones…_

By the time he had finished in the bathroom, he could see Houndoom stretching on the bed, before hopping off to greet him, trying to jump up.

"No Houndoom, I've already told you, it's against doggy rules to jump up." He said with an expression that mocked one of someone's parents to a child who had done something wrong. He quickly squatted down and gave Houndoom the attention he wanted, and he was satisfied with a quick stroke or two along his back. He got up and checked himself in the mirror. Talon could be considered a guy that girls would call "cute", which sometimes annoyed him, as many girls he had liked couldn't take him very seriously. He had short black hair, with bright blue eyes that flickered out from between the strands of hair that covered them. He had a European look in his features; Firm, strong-looking and resilient, which Talon could thank his father for. His eyes came from his mother though, which his grandmother never tired of reminding him about. He had a fairly athletic build, not particularly muscle-bound, but quite fit and in good health. He was currently wearing a red short sleeved T-shirt with a thin white stripe across the chest, and a long-sleeve white T-shirt under it. He was also wearing his favourite black jeans and black sneakers with white stripes. Like most Trainers, he kept his Pokéballs on a simple belt around his waist, although it just kept Houndoom's empty Pokéball on it. Seventeen, with one Pokémon. True, it was quite a strong one and it had evolved, but at seventeen, after seven years of being a Trainer and only having one Pokémon make him feel weak. Houndoom's aforementioned strength made him forget about that once they were in battles.

He messed around a bit with his fringe, trying to move it away from his eyes for a bit before giving up and grabbing his backpack. After checking that he had everything, he called Houndoom to follow him and left the room, heading into the reception area of the Pokémon Center and sitting by the doors.

* * *

Right then guys… Chapter 1 is through, and now you know about Talon.  
What about this Danus character? And what of this strange interesting thing? Some explained in Chapter 2, reviews appreciated! 


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay then, second chapter of Team Aero coming up in just a minute.  
First, reviews! (Well… In this case, review. . )  
Danny- thanks for reading it, and keep watching for new chapters. With the hair thing, I meant it's short at the back and sides, but his fringe is rather long. Hope that fixes that up._

_Anyway, Chapter 2:  
_

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**Chapter 2: Nervous Heather**

Talon checked his PokéNav's built-in clock. Half an hour had passed since he sat down, waiting for Danus to show up. He sighed and slouched over the table he was at, sighing.

"I woke up too early…" he groaned, as Houndoom reciprocated his feelings by yawning and stretching beside him. It was true; he was awake before midday on a Saturday.

Just when he thought of getting up, checking back into his room and sleeping in for an extra hour, one of the room doors opened in the hallway. Talon leaned back in his chair to see Danus, clothes askew, face flushed coming out of the room. He grinned into the dim light of the room and Talon spotted a wink before the door shut. Danus tried to neaten himself up and comb his hair with his fingers before coming into the full light of the reception. He spotted Talon and smiled sheepishly.

"Er… Sorry I'm late bro, I er…" He tried to explain, but Talon interrupted him.

"Didn't get much sleep? Restless night?" he asked Danus, raising an eyebrow. About five seconds of awkward silence followed, before the both of them noticed shaky lips on the other, before they evolved into full blown laughs as Danus sat down opposite Talon.

"You always were a ladies' man, Dan…" Talon sighed, shaking his head and smirking.

"They love me, I swear! I know someone who won't though." Said Danus, wincing as he reached for his belt, tossing his first Pokéball out into the space beside him. Out came a very annoyed Sneasel, claws already beared. Talon backed off as Sneasel pounced onto Danus, giving him a heavy beating for keeping him cooped up in his Ball all night. Once Sneasel had calmed down and hopped off of his master, Danus slowly got up, rubbing his face carefully. He looked over at Talon, who was trying not to laugh again, and gave him a glare.

Danus was a little older than Talon, nineteen years old. He was a blatant womaniser, and quite a successful one at that. He stood a steady five feet five inches. He had bright baby blue eyes, well-framed by a stylish pair of black framed glasses, and delicate features. His purple hair was all collected into a side ponytail out of his face. He wore a red shirt, a blue sleeveless hooded jacket and black jeans.

He had three Pokémon; his Sneasel, who was his pride and joy, an Absol, and a rather large Pupitar. As a Trainer, he was quite accomplished, and he adored Dark types. He too was taking the League Challenge and already had obtained five of the eight badges. He and Talon had been close friends since as long as they could remember, growing up right next door to each other, playing, sharing troubles and the like, until their bonds of friendship were at their strongest. It was then that Danus set out on his League adventure, but had promised to return for the start of Talon's own outset. When the time came, Talon had gotten a little too anxious (and rather impatient) and so he had left without Danus, who returned later than expected to discover that they had been separated.

However, already within the one night of being together again, their friendship had picked up as strong as ever. Talon and Danus shared a friendly rivalry, but Houndoom and Sneasel had it much more intense between them.

About an hour passed, and now everyone was fed, watered and ready to leave. It was then that Talon remembered about Professor Birch. He quickly went over to the PC and called through to the Professor.

"Hello? Oh Talon, it's you. Finally! So, tell me what you found yesterday!" the Professor asked.

"Well, I think it's best if I just send it through on a transfer. I'll send it through now." Talon rummaged through his backpack, and pulled out a single Pokéball, before placing it on the PC's transfer pod, usually used to store Pokémon. He punched in a few commands on the computer and the Pokéball disappeared on his side. Moments later, the Professor could be seen reaching off screen and coming back with the Pokéball, a puzzled expression on his face.

"A Pokémon? But… Why is this different than all the others I've been researching?" Birch asked, disappointment leaking through his voice.

"Just let it out, and you'll see!" Talon replied. The Professor tossed the Pokéball off screen and his eyes grew wide at the sight.  
"Talon, this… This… I don't know about this Pokémon! This is a brand new discovery! I must go now; I need to research it, bye!"  
"By-"  
-beep- Birch had already cut off the feed, excited like a kid at Christmas.

Talon shrugged and walked back to his table, adjusting his backpack. Danus looked up and took this as a sign that they were ready to go. He got up too and they both made their way to the automatic doors of the Pokémon Center. As they went through the doors, a girl bumped into Talon, and the two of them got knocked off their feet. The girl was clutching a Teddiursa in her arms, and from the looks of it, it was unconscious. She had long, shining aqua-blue hair, and eyes to match. She was quite attractive to the two guys, and no doubt would draw attention from passers-by as she walked. She was wearing a white shirt, and a blue denim jacket over that. She was wearing ice-blasted blue jeans and white sneakers.

When Talon helped her up, she stood around 5'8", and was already pink in the face and apologizing.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, are you okay? I'm sorry, I should've looked where I was going.." she said.

"No, I'm fine baby, how are you?" said Danus, butting in as Talon tried to reply, moving in-between the two of them. She looked simply terrified and tried to back away against the wall. She looked fit to scream, but then Talon pulled Danus away from her.

"Sorry about my friend… Are you okay? Come on, let's sit you down and get that Teddiursa looked at, okay?" said Talon, guiding her to the reception desk. She handed the nurse Teddiursa and sat down. Danus went to sit beside her on her side of the table, but Talon pointed firmly at the seat beside him opposite her. Reluctantly, he sat down by Talon.

"I'm sorry about all this, I really am..." she started, but Talon interrupted, saying, "It's fine… No one's hurt. No problem."

"Thanks… I'm Heather. I was in such a hurry because Teddiursa just lost to Morty again. I'm hopeless as a Trainer…" she said.

"I'm sure you don't. The only problem you have is that Normal types, like Teddiursa, can't hit Ghost-types no matter what. Don't beat yourself up about it, okay? Teddiursa will be fine, it looked strong." Talon explained.

Heather smiled, and went a little pink across the cheeks again, playing with the end of her hair with her fingers nervously. "Thanks for helping me… So what do you think I should do to beat Morty? Catch another Pokémon?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's your best bet." Said Talon, looking at her. She seemed too delicate for her own good…

"Oh… Well, I, umm… I don't know how… I was given Teddy." She said, looking awkwardly at the table in front of her, blushing a little more at how bad this made her look.

Talon smiled. "That's no problem at all. Want us to show you a few things?" he asked. This shocked Heather, as she had thought that they would've laughed at her for not knowing how to catch a Pokémon as a Trainer in her late teens. She had started when she was ten, like everyone else, but only had one Pokémon, and that was given to her too. She quickly nodded and smiled.

"I'd love it if you helped me! I'd be so grateful… If it's not too much of a hassle that is…" she looked at the two Trainers. Talon nodded and Danus winked, and was then slapped upside the head.

"We'd love it if you tagged along with us." Said Talon, smiling.

Just then, the nurse called for Heather, and then handed Teddiursa back. When he noticed Heather, he visibly looked cheerier and she scooped him back up into his arms. Danus whispered "That's cute." into Talon's ear, which earned him an elbow in the gut.

"Right then, are we all ready to go?" said Talon. Heather nodded, as did Danus, and Houndoom and Sneasel sounded their approval of finally leaving, the latter on Danus' shoulder. Now a trio, they made their way out of the Pokémon Center, into Ecruteak City.

* * *

_Chapter 2 is over, and the guys have a new travelling companion, which they quite literally bumped into. So far, Danus' charm hasn't worked on her one bit, and the concept is mind-boggling for him. Chapter 3 is coming soon, but for now, enjoy this one! Reviews are always welcomed._


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys, just a little note about Danus' Sneasel. It's actually a female, by the request of my buddy who's designed Danus. I don't mind too much about the lack of reviews, because I know those that like what I do, do read it. Just keep reading!  
Anyway:_

* * *

**  
Chapter 3: Team Aero**

The group left Ecruteak City, and had stopped in a patch of tall grass just south of the city. Talon was checking out the grass around them, while Danus was just checking out Heather, who tried to ignore him by looking away.

"Okay Heather, I think we're safe for a short while, you got the Pokéballs before we left town, right?" Talon asked, to which Heather smiled, pulling out a handful, just in case. "Okay, good. Now you can never tell when something might jump out at you, but it's alright, we're here and Teddy is too. Look at him, he looks much better today!" Sure enough, Heather's Teddiursa was throwing punches in front of it in preparation, looking more like a pre-match boxer than a young small Pokémon. It made Talon grin, and Heather giggled.

Talon taught her the basics of capturing Pokémon in the next ten minutes, noticing every so often that Danus had not moved his gaze, and he wasn't looking at Heather's face either, so Talon made Houndoom give his hand a sharp bite, which surely made him drop his concentration. Heather looked over at Talon while Danus was messing about with Houndoom, and gave him a thankful smile, and Talon started to feel a little warm in the face.

"A-anyway so erm..." Talon started, clearing his throat and starting again, "Anyway, that's the basics, you think you got it down Heather?" he asked her. She thought about it for a second then nodded and smiled. "Good stuff, now keep your eyes and ears open." He warned, and she nodded, looking to her right at a rustling sound. Something was coming through the grass at them. The sound got louder still, and out stumbled a Growlithe. It looked incredibly weak, as if something else had attacked it before them. It collapsed in the small clearing the three Trainers had made, and Heather quickly rushed over to it. Too weak to growl her away, it let her take a look at its wounds, until it noticed that she was being nice to it. It weakly wagged its tail and reached up to lick her cheek before it fell unconscious.

"Lucky bugger." Danus commented, obviously peeved that his attempts weren't working with Heather.

Talon frowned and went to Heather, kneeling by her and looking at the Growlithe. "If I didn't know better Dan, I'd think you were jealous of the Growlithe." He said, smirking. He looked at Heather, who looked visibly worried for it. He sighed and hated how something could make her look this way, before realising what he was thinking and shaking it off. "Er… Heather, I think we ought to take this little guy into town and get him checked up." He said to her. She quickly nodded, took one of the empty Pokéballs and dropped it lightly on the Growlithe's belly. It vanished inside the ball, not even wriggling against it.

"Well… erm… Not what we had in mind, but you just caught something." Said Talon sheepishly. Both he and Heather got to their feet and started pushing their way through the tall grass into town, being followed by Danus, complaining about getting all the grass in the face from the other two. He sighed as they went into the Center.

"Here again. I bet the nurses think we're regulars now." He jibed.

"Shut it Dan, not the time for it." Snapped Talon, as Heather handed the injured Growlithe's Pokéball over the desk. She and Talon sat down, as Danus noticed an "old friend" a table or two away, and went to sit with her, muttering how this visit wasn't so pointless after all.

"Thanks Talon. I think without you two, we wouldn't have gone that way, and that poor Growlithe might not have been noticed." Heather said.

"Well this works two ways now. You've helped a Pokémon out and captured it as a reward." He smiled. "It'll be fine after a while."

"You've been so helpful since we met, Talon..." she went to reach for his hand, when she was interrupted by Danus looking questioningly out of the window.

"What the-"he began; wide-eyed, before he grabbed the person he was sitting with and dived to the floor. Talon then looked out of the window and saw what Danus was ducking from. He thought nothing more- he just reached for Heather, who had just noticed it too, and leapt for the floor too.

"Down! Everybody get down!" he warned them.

Not long after, the side wall of the Pokémon Center was ripped open by a huge Hyper Beam, causing chaos in the Center. All Talon could see was dust and rubble flying everywhere, and all he could hear was Heather and other people screaming. The sprinklers had been set off from the resulting small fires. Through the hole in the wall that was made by the Hyper Beam, three men walked in. Two of the men were dressed in green and black, with a logo on their chests which looked like an A with wings. The logo was also on their black and green bandanas around their necks. They came in just after a very intimidating man. He was around 5'9", with long red hair that fell over his shoulders. He had piercing hazel eyes and a frown that showed the lines of experience. He was wearing a grass-green shirt, under a black scaly jacket that went down to his ankles. He was wearing black pants, rough black hiking boots and black and green fingerless gloves. He walked into the Pokémon Center, his hands in his pockets and smirking.

"Good morning Ecruteak." The man said. "Allow me to introduce myself. Murphy, and that is all you will know me by. This is a message. Team Aero has arisen, and you will all soon know our name a lot better, believe me."

"Great, another Rocket rip-off..." Danus muttered. To his surprise, Murphy had heard him. He rolled his eyes and struck out suddenly; giving Danus a hard backslap across the face, before kneeing him in the stomach. The girl that Danus was sitting with screamed as Danus fell to the floor, clutching his stomach, coughing out a little blood. Sneasel, who had been covering a couple of baby Pokémon from all the flying chunks of rock, leapt down to check on her master.

"You compare us to the Rockets… You moron. The Rockets were a terrorist organisation just out there for money and pride. We on the other hand are here to change the world. In the shadow of Teams Magma and Aqua's failures, we have learned. But, I don't want to spill the beans on the whole thing to you." Murphy said, glaring at Danus before calming down again. The two Aero members Murphy had brought with him looked worried. Sneasel bared its claws and ran in front of the three men, practically snarling in rage.

"One Sneasel against two of my highest rank members and myself. That's funny." Murphy smirked, chuckling to himself. Sneasel jumped into the air straight at Murphy's face, ready to give a Beat-Up worthy of rememberence, but Murphy did something Sneasel did not expect; He did not reach for his Pokémon, he just dodged out of the way of the initial strike. In the confusion, Murphy grabbed Sneasel by the arms and swung it, throwing it forcefully into the nearest wall. Some onlookers in the Center gasped at the brutality of what Murphy just did, who just laughed and clapped his hands clean of dust. Sneasel struggled, crawling towards Murphy again slowly, but fainted after a yard or so.

"Your Sneasel sure is spunky, but it needs to learn that blinding rage is just that. It couldn't see me fast enough." Murphy told Danus, giving him a small kick or two in the legs as he hunched over. He walked slowly to what was left of the reception desk and hopped over. He walked calmly into the back area, and minutes passed, the two Team Aero members moving through the Center, picking on various Trainers. One of them came over to Heather and started flirting rather aggressively with her. Heather backed off into the wall; trying to push him away from her, fear in her voice. It was then that the Team Aero member yelled out in pain as she had brought her knee up into his vitals. He collapsed in a heap, clutching in-between his legs, groaning and cursing Heather. The other member heard the struggle and came over to see the situation.

"Oh you're in for it now, sweetheart!" he exclaimed and hurried over. Before he could make it however, Talon came in between him and Heather, a livid expression on his face. Houndoom leapt at the Team Aero member, taking him to the floor. After a struggle, he managed to push Houndoom off and released his own Pokémon- a rather large Golbat. It started flapping towards Houndoom.

"Houndoom, Faint Attack." Talon told Houndoom, his voice laced with ice. Soon after, Houndoom vanished into thin air. Golbat stopped in its tracks, looking around for it.

"Now, Crunch and Flamethrower!" and the hell-dog reappeared behind Golbat. It leapt up at it and latched on with its powerful jaws, before blasting a huge jet of flame point blank at the Golbat. After the flames died down, Golbat fell to the floor, charred and burned, and the Team Aero member was forced to return it, shocked in the strength of this kid. His expression changed to one of anger, and he ran at Talon, fists clenched. Just before he reached him…  
"HEY! You, back off that kid now!" Murphy shouted, clutching a Pokéball in his hands. "We've got what we wanted; now we leave! Help him up too." He said, fastening the Pokéball to his belt and walking to the blown out hole in the wall. The Team Aero member didn't need to hear him a second time. He quickly helped his wincing partner to his feet and caught up with Murphy, and let him know what happened. Murphy stopped in his tracks and his eye began to twitch.

"A kid? The two of you lost to a kid?!"

"Well, no sir, number 14 was already down… The girl-"

"EVEN BETTER! A girl! You lost to a girl, and you lost to her boyfriend." He said glaring and poking the two of them in the chest as he talked to each of them. Heather flushed pink at what she heard Murphy say, and Talon was still giving the three of them daggers.

"Remind me why I brought you two in particular when we get back. And you…" he turned to Talon, who finally got a good look at his violent eyes, "You'll see what happens when you go against Team Aero. I'll see to that myself, _hero. _You just watch yourself from now on, kid. I'm going to be looking for you, and when I find you, there'll be hell to pay!"

Murphy stormed out of the Center, quickly followed by his two lackeys, one of them still holding the other up, who was still breathing heavy and hunched over. Talon looked out of the window and saw Murphy bring out a huge Salamence, before climbing on, dragging the other two on it and setting off into the sky.

The sprinklers finally stopped, and Heather and Talon hurried over to Danus, who had got himself to sit down again.

"Dan, are you okay? We saw what happened…" Heather asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Won't sleep on my stomach for a week but otherwise it's just my pride that's hurt. How about you two? I heard the struggle over there." Danus replied, still rubbing his abdomen tentatively. "How's Sneasel? I haven't been able to check yet." He added, visibly worried.

Talon knelt by Sneasel and checked her over. "Don't worry Dan, Sneasel's a toughie. She's just fainted, probably be right as rain after a rest." He told Danus, who shakily sighed with relief.

"Yeah… We're fine." Heather replied to Danus. "Talon… Back then, he-"

"Kicked ass, I know. He's had Houndoom for seven years. It had better be strong by now." Danus interrupted Heather, smirking at Talon. Heather decided to stay quiet about what Murphy said for now; It wasn't the time for it.

"Hey, don't thank me, thank Houndoom. Heather took care of the first guy well enough herself." Talon said.

Danus snorted a laugh, nodding. "Yeah, I saw the other guy drag him out. Heather knows how to hurt a guy if she wants to, I see." He said, as Heather blushed a little, smiling. "Everyone looks fine over here. I don't think anyone actually got hit by any of the wall, or the Hyper Beam. But what did that Murphy guy steal from the back? It looked like a Pokémon."

"Well I know something for sure; It wasn't that Salamence he used to get away. That thing was huge. Too strong for anyone to reasonably have here. Whatever it was, Team Aero needed it." Talon said, and Danus nodded.

The three of them decided to stay at the Center while Sneasel rested, helping any injured people and tidying up the place, as best as they could with a missing wall. The Nurse checked the recovery machines and thankfully, they were unaffected. Once Sneasel was back to fighting fitness, and the Pokémon Center looked stable enough, Talon, Heather and Danus left the Center, thinking it best to stay clear of the inevitable waves of press, emergency services, repairmen and worried civilians. When they were nearing the western exit of Ecruteak City, Heather saw Morty himself rushing to the Pokémon Center, possibly worried about a collection of his own Pokémon in rest there.

Danus led the way this time, thinking that if the group were headed through tall grass, then the other two would get the grass in the face this time, still grumbling about earlier that day.

"Damn… I gotta go. Erm… You wait over there; I don't want you guys seeing." Danus said sheepishly, before going behind a bush. Talon and Heather went and stood waiting for him at a lonely tree further on in the route.

"Umm… Talon, do you remember earlier, back at the Center, when Murphy was talking to his two thugs? I-I heard something… Murphy said that you… umm…" Heather started, but Talon just nodded.

"Yeah, he stared at me and told me to watch out. Turns out I'm gonna have Murphy after me for a spot of revenge. Heather, do you think it's safe for you and Dan to come with me anymore? I mean… What if Murphy does jump me and you guys get caught in the crossfire?" he said, looking Heather in the face.

"Talon… The way you took care of that man before… I don't think we have much to worry about. Plus, I er… I never really thanked you. Who knows what he would've done." Heather said, her eyes welling up. She flung her arms around him tight, surprising Talon at the very least.

"Well, I couldn't have let him hurt you, could I? I mean… I-"

"Did you hear what Murphy said though? He said that you were my boyfriend." Heather blushed, pulling away a little so she could see his face.

"He did? I didn't hear that. I must've been so mad back then…" Talon said.

Heather nodded. "But… Is that a bad thing, or what?" she asked him, confused at his expression. Talon's face went a little pink and looked in Heather's eyes for an answer.

"I… I umm…" he stammered, looking at her face. She looked confused and sad.  
_I don't want to see that face… It's not right. A face like that needs to be happy and lit up... _He thought, and then he smiled. "I guess Murphy knew something we didn't, huh? Well I think we know now."

Heather's face grew into a huge ecstatic smile, and on what seemed to her as a reflex, pushed her lips to his.

"About time… Lucky git." Said Danus to himself. He had finished a long time back, and had overheard and saw the whole thing from the secrecy of the tall grass, Sneasel perched on his shoulder.

_Darkness._

_Walls of wood and stone, a ruin of its former glory._

_Six yellow lights._

Three separate directions.

_The Three are awake._

* * *

_Whew. Alright you guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the wait. I had quite a bit of writer's block. That's it for chapter 3. I'd love it if you reviewed, but otherwise, I'm just glad you read as I continue to write. Hopefully I won't make you wait so long for Chapter 4. See you around!  
Scott_


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